Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/42006
Maxon Rolls Out Cinema 4D R13 Maxon has unveiled Cinema 4D Release 13, the next generation of its 3D motion graphics, visual effects, painting, and rendering software application. With all-new character tools, integrated stereographic capabilities, streamlined multi-artist collaboration, and physical rendering, R13 builds on the compa- ny's 25-year legacy of enabling digital content creators to produce engaging content quickly and easily for a variety of industries. The new version features an enhanced rendering engine for physically accurate rendering, efficient subsurface scatter- ing for creating translucent materials, and anti-aliasing filters achieved with the Mitchell and Gauss algorithms. A shared image sampler enables users to combine samplings of multiple effects, thereby saving valuable render time. R13 also touts various stereoscopic capabilities, such as a stereo camera conversion function, (parallel, on-axis/off- axis, radial), a stereo previewer, as well as stereo rendering support. The offer- ing also contains updated character tools that simplify the rigging process, and more. Maxon offers four versions of Cinema 4D, each catering to the needs of 3D artists in different industries, so not every version will offer all the new features. Pricing is as follows: Cinema 4D Studio, $3695; Cinema 4D Broadcast, $1695; Cinema 4D Visualize, $2295; Cinema 4D Prime, $995. Upgrade pricing from R12 is available. The Foundry Creates Storm The Foundry has launched its RED Digital Cinema workflow product, Storm, which brings a focused and easy-to-adopt tool to digital camera workflows, offering a consistent and reliable way to review, organize, prepare, edit, conform, and deliver Raw RED media on a laptop or work- station on and near a set. Storm brings continuity to a user's workflow, enabling the person—whether a DIT, data wrangler, cinematographer, editor, colorist, or director—to quickly and easily take RED media from camera, through editorial, and on to postproduction and delivery. An intuitive, flexible UI makes it easy to customize and transition between layouts. Once the RED media is acquired, Storm lets users employ tags to identify and search for keyframes or clips, then create user-defined bins based on the tagged media. Users also can lower the resolution of the media for real-time playback on a laptop, to allow on-site verification of the data acquisition. Multi-track video and audio can be displayed and edited for comparing takes, establishing baselines, and verifying editorial content. Storm integrates with FCP, so that media can be edited and then re-conformed back in Storm to the user's original RED media, maintaining the look, tags, and metadata references. Storm is available for $375. It requires a MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, or iMac with at least 2GB RAM running OS X 10.6.4 or later. Storm is optimized for RED R3D footage and will use a RED Rocket card if one is installed. PRODUCT: WORKFLOW NaturalPoint Showcases Trio System NaturalPoint has unveiled its new OptiTrack V120:Trio tracking system, which is self-contained and factory-calibrated for out-of-the-box track- ing. Simple to use, the V120:Trio nevertheless offers the accuracy and flexibility of optical tracking technology. Designed for desktop-friendly mocap, the Trio lets users create and track custom marker arrangements and extract an object's position and orientation for a full six degrees of freedom. The system ships as a single plug-and-play package and offers the benefits of multi-camera tracking, such as enhanced accuracy, a wider field of view, and custom rigid-body tracking. Furthermore, the OptiTrack V120:Trio is compatible with the OptiTrack Insight VCS virtual camera plug-in. When using the system, the marker and rigid-body data is streamed in real time via VRPN, Trackd, or a custom NatNet plug-in, while the data is exported as a .C3D or .CSV file. Tracking, streaming, and saving is done through a custom-tailored release of Tracking Tools (NaturalPoint's real- time, 3D engineering-grade, rigid-body and marker-tracking application), which ships with the Trio camera. The V120:Trio carries a price tag of $2499. The system comes with a free license of NaturalPoint's Tracking Tools, the company's motion- tracking software (typically priced at $799). PRODUCT: DCC 8 August/September 2011 PRODUCT: MOTION CAPTURE